Does this sound like a neuropsychological evaluation?

[TiredSoul]

Ok so finally got a referral to a Children's hospital to have difficult child evaluated. I told the pediatrician that I wanted a referral to one of two places in our area for a neuropsychologist evaluation. They left a message today to do the intake questionnaire. Are there any questions I should ask when I call back tomorrow to make sure this is what we need/neuropsychologist evaluation?

This is what it says when I look up the particular doctor/facility:

Specialty: Pediatric, Developmental Behavioral
Certifications: Pediatrics; Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics

Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics
Developmental pediatricians are highly trained and experienced in identifying a range of developmental and behavioral differences. They can evaluate your child's overall development, provide a diagnosis, and recommend specific treatment plans. Developmental pediatricians also can coordinate medical evaluations or prescribe medications when appropriate. They often act as an advocate during school planning, providing documentation and support to make sure your child receives needed services.
Our Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics practitioners provide medical evaluations for children 3-13 years of age with suspected developmental behavioral disabilities, medication management and follow-up care. Conditions commonly seen in our clinic include:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Down Syndrome
• Developmental Delay
• Medical Disorders affecting the child’s development
• Behavior concerns related to the above diagnoses

Referral Process

Once a referral is received from your child’s primary care provider a packet of information will be mailed to your home. We request completion of this information by you and your child’s teacher as well as any previous academic or developmental testing for our providers to review prior to the initial appointment.

As part of the evaluation families will also receive recommendations for treatment or referrals to other specialists (i.e., therapies, genetics, nutrition, etc.) as needed.

 

[buddy]

No, this sounds like a developmental pediatrician. Not that they aren't good, but not a neuropsychologist.

 

[TiredSoul]

Well ****! Why won't our pediatrician doctor listen to me?!? Could it be we see this guy first, and then if needed have further testing from the neuropsychologist area in that hospital? Wondering if this is a standard first step?

 

[buddy]

It could very well be a good thing. One difference is that the developmental pediatrician can be your ongoing doctor. Can prescribe medications and really understands kids with developmental conditions and how it affects behaviors.

They may have as part of the clinic, use of all of the testing people, like sp. lang, Occupational Therapist (OT), neuropsychologist. So, you should call the clinic and ask.

A neuropsychologist is really a tool to get the diagnosis and to help sort out issues. They also can be used yearly to monitor progress and confirm issues, see if things are changing etc. But they do not have ongoing input like therapy etc. THey are wonderful. in my humble opinion. But there are many who do get the same services from dev. pediatrician clinics.... and then there are some who dont get that so really need to research it.

[h=1]What is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician?[/h]

If your child has a developmental, learning, or behavioral problem, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician has the training and expertise to evaluate and care for your child. Developmental-behavioral pediatricians possess training and experience to consider, in their assessments and treatments, the medical and psychosocial aspects of children’s and adolescents’ developmental and behavioral problems.​

[h=3]What training do developmental-behavioral pediatricians have?[/h]

Developmental-behavioral pediatricians are medical doctors who have completed​

• Four years of medical school​
• Three years of residency training in pediatrics​
• Board certification in pediatrics​
• Additional subspecialty training in developmental-behavioral pediatrics​

In 2002, the American Board of Pediatrics began certifying developmental-behavioral pediatricians via a comprehensive examination process.​

[h=3]Developmental-behavioral pediatricians evaluate, counsel, and provide treatment for children, adolescents, and their families with a wide range of developmental and behavioral difficulties, including[/h]

• Learning disorders including dyslexia, writing diffi culties, math disorders, and other school-related learning problems​
• Attention and behavioral disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and associated conditions including oppositional-defiant behavior, conduct problems, depression, and anxiety disorders​
• Tics, Tourette syndrome, and other habit disorders​
• Regulatory disorders including sleep disorders, feeding problems, discipline difficulties, complicated toilet-training issues, enuresis (bedwetting), and encopresis (soiling)​
• Developmental disabilities including cerebral palsy, spina bifi da, mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, and visual and hearing impairments​
• Delayed development in speech, language, motor skills, and thinking ability​
• Behavioral and developmental problems complicating the full range of pediatric chronic illnesses and disabling conditions (for example, genetic disorders, epilepsy, prematurity, diabetes, asthma, cancer)​

[h=3]Where can I find a developmental-behavioral pediatrician?[/h]

Developmental-behavioral pediatricians practice in hospitals, major medical centers, clinics, private practice settings, rehabilitation centers, schools, and community centers.Often a developmental-behavioral pediatrician works collaboratively with a team of professionals. This team may include a psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, neurodevelopmental disabilities pediatrician, child psychiatrist, child neurologist, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, educational diagnostician, or clinical social worker.​

[h=3]Developmental-behavioral pediatricians work closely with parents, families, and schools.[/h]

Developmental-behavioral pediatricians understand that children’s development and behavior happen first and foremost in the context of the family. They seek to understand the family’s view of the problem and the effect of the child’s problem on the family. Developmental-behavioral pediatricians advocate for their patients with developmental and behavioral problems by working closely with schools, preschools, and other agencies involved with developmental care and education.​

Clinical neuropsychology is a sub-field of psychology concerned with the cognitive function of individuals with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Neuropsychological assessment examines cognitive function in the broadest sense, including the behavioural, emotional, social and functional status of patients. Assessment is primarily by way of neuropsychological tests, but also includes patient history, qualitative observation and may draw on findings from neuroimaging and other diagnostic medical procedures. Clinical neuropsychology requires knowledge of: neuroanatomy,neurobiology, psychopharmacology and neurological illness or injury.

 

[TiredSoul]

Thanks for the info!! So this part about Dev Peds seems good and I should probably ask who all is part of the team doing the evaluations when I talk to them tomorrow.

Often a developmental-behavioral pediatrician works collaboratively with a team of professionals. This team may include a psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, neurodevelopmental disabilities pediatrician, child psychiatrist, child neurologist, nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, educational diagnostician, or clinical social worker.
Developmental-behavioral pediatricians work closely with parents, families, and schools.

 

[TiredSoul]

Also I wonder if I should show them the evaluations the school has done - or not? I want a completely unbiased opinion.

 

[buddy]

I sometimes say no problem, you can have them AFTER you meet difficult child and do your testing. I agree, it can truly bias things. I have never asked for prior testing for a new student. We get a case history but once they do or do not qualify, then I ask for more info to see the big picture. Dont hide anything, just say you are looking for a fresh set of eyes unless they make an argument you agree with, smile. You will get lots of questions about school performance and how he does there anyway.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Jules -
The important thing is to get a comprehensive evaluation. Seems like in the US, this is often done by a neuropsychologist... but that is not the only option.

Sounds like the situation you described is a TEAM approach... Those can be very good, as well. Like any other medical specialists... of course, some are better than others! But... this isn't just some stand-alone psychiatrist doing an evaluation... a dev. pediatrician. can look into things that a psychiatrist can't... like Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) (developmental coordination disorder) - not that your child has THAT, but its a good example of a disorder that needs a raft of medical conditions ruled out... and a dev. pediatrician. can do that.

Key word: COMPREHENSIVE.

 

[TeDo]

What you posted from your research sounds similar to a neuropscyh to a point. I would definitely ask it is a TEAM that does the evaluating. You could still follow through with this appointment and see where it leads and if you get good information from them. If it doesn't help, push for a neuropsychologist. I have heard some good things about many developmental pediatricians. As with any professional, not all are good but many are. This would be a great first step if nothing else.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Also - even if this doesn't cover ALL the bases, push for all of the bases that they CAN cover... for example, Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation (sensory, motor skills), and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) evaluation (language, Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), Auditory Processing Disorders (APD) esp. trouble hearing in noisy environment, hearing) are often separate evaluations anyway... if this office has access to those, see if you can get those evaluations too. Occupational Therapist (OT) and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) rarely result in diagnosis, but... provide really valuable input for everybody.

 

[DammitJanet]

Personally I think this sounds better. I dont put as much stock in neuropsychs as everyone else here does.

 

[BusynMember]

This isn't a neuropsychologist evaluation. My son had two evaluations like this one. I preferred the neuropsychologist and felt his testing was more intensive, however this doesn't sound bad. How long is the testing going to be? What I like about neuropsychs is how intensive they evaluate and how they go into every facet of behavior. Also, the neuropsychologist is with your kiddo for a long time and gets to see how he reacts and behaves in many situations. My son had ten full hours of testing (in two hour increments) and we had to f ill out a billion forms too...lol...as did the schools. I didn't feel any stone was left unturned. The neuropsychologist hit the nail on the head.

When we had our evaluation like the one you are going to have, our son saw each different evaluator for 1/2 hour at a time, which I felt was not enough time to scope out my kiddo. They did not nail the diagnosis down, although they did say he had "autistic traits." It is really a matter of choice. I would go with this for a start and see if you feel the team did a good job. See if your Mom Gut, which I love, thinks that t he team has nailed your kiddo correctly. If not, you can always push for a neuropsychologist evaluation, which we had to do (but not everyone does).